Making life better

The following are the dates for public, or National, holidays in Portugal in 2025.

One of the things that people worry about is what happens to their pets if they are no longer able to take care of them. Whilst long term planning is important, what happens if suddenly there’s an unforeseen emergency and you aren’t able to tell people about your pet at home?

We are all aware of the increasing cost of living and many Members will experience the pleasure of going from store to store to compare prices on food and drink.

Until quite recently taxpayers were required to keep invoices for 6 months to 5 years for individuals and up to 10 years for companies for tax purposes. In fact one of the key points in our IRS seminars a few years ago, was a reminder to always ask for a factura and to keep them in a safe place until the end of the year. The question is do taxpayers still need to keep their invoices and the answer, according to the Tax Authority (AT), is NO. In fact they have stated now that “most invoices can be thrown away after checking whether they are correct on E-fatura”.

As a resident of Portugal, you're likely familiar with the country's growing cycling culture. To ensure safe and legal bicycle transportation, it's crucial to adhere to specific regulations.

According to data from the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), in the first half of 2023 almost 70 million vehicles were stopped/inspected and there was an increase in infractions of around 20 percent. It won’t surprise most people to hear that speeding was the most common (67%), however that was followed by the lack of mandatory periodic inspection, before excess alcohol, using cell phones and then transporting children without an adequate restraint system.

The general hunting season for 2024-2025 began in August and runs through until February. However hunting for fallow deer, buck and boar, are permitted all year round as these are only allowed in very restricted areas. Hunting is only allowed where authorised by the local Câmara and the area must be sign posted.

For those who frequently struggle with finding their car in crowded parking lots, WAZE has a solution. The popular navigation app has introduced a new 'Find My Car' feature that makes it easier than ever to locate your vehicle.

Many Members will use Bluetooth on their mobile devices, to connect to their hands-free system in their car for example or to connect to their music system or headphones. Generally this is perfectly fine and a very useful way to use technology, but as with all things there are things to be aware of and one of those is a scam that you might not have heard of, with the fairly unpleasant name of Bluesnarfing. 

If the property was purchased without financing and one of the owners dies, the property will go to their closest family members. This also applies even if there is a will. Therefore, the law stipulated in the Civil Code is used and at least 2/3 of the inheritance of the property is divided among the legitimate heirs. In this case, the legislation determines the following hierarchy regarding the heirs:

We often have calls from Members asking us to help them understand their electricity bill. It’s not always easy to do as there are a number of variations and the readings aren’t always easy to take. However, things are changing and some people will already have had a new smart meter installed by the company ‘e-Redes’.

A sophisticated online fraud where victims are groomed over time to invest in a fake cryptocurrency scheme. The scammers gradually build trust and manipulate victims into making larger and larger investments, eventually disappearing with the funds.